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The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points Toward God |  | Author: Lee Strobel
Publisher: Zondervan
List Price: $14.99
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as of 11/24/2009 05:03 CST details
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Seller: mckenziebooks
Rating:  237 reviews
Sales Rank: 4128
Media: Paperback
Pages: 352
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.4 x 1.1
ISBN: 0310240506
Dewey Decimal Number: 212.1
EAN: 9780310240501
ASIN: 0310240506
Publication Date: March 1, 2005
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Product Description
Lee Strobel investigates the latest scientific discoveries to see whether they form a solid basis for believing in God.
Amazon.com Review
Are Christianity and science incompatible? If there is a God, is he only an impersonal starter force? An introductory high school biology class first propelled Lee Strobel toward a life of atheism. God and science, he reasoned, were mutually exclusive. When the former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune converted to Christianity, he decided to investigate the science he had once accepted as truth. Did science point toward or away from God? As Strobel interviews a variety of scientists on everything from debunking evolutionary icons to the implications of the Big Bang to the existence of the human soul, he builds his case: scientific evidence points toward Intelligent Design. Although the discussion often veers into the academic, Strobel works hard to make it accessible to those without scientific training. Throughout the book, he salts interview transcript information with interesting personal stories of his own spiritual and scientific quest for knowledge, as well as sometimes over-detailed descriptions of the actual interviews (right down to the type of beverages consumed). Each chapter contains suggestions for further reading on particular issues of science and faith. Strobel concludes that, when correctly interpreted, science and biblical teaching support each other. He quotes physicist Paul Davies, "…science offers a surer path to God than religion." Open-minded readers will find that this book, and its questions for reflection and group study, invites conversation and investigation.--Cindy Crosby
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 237
 Complete nonsense November 17, 2009
K. Schwartz (Brooklyn, NY)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
First of all Strobel attempts to refute Darwin, without properly defining evolution .
"In a world of stable populations where each individual must struggle to survive, those with the "best" characteristics will be more likely to survive, and those desirable traits will be passed to their offspring. These advantageous characteristics are inherited by following generations, becoming dominant among the population through time. This is natural selection. It may be further inferred that natural selection, if carried far enough, makes changes in a population, eventually leading to new species. These observations have been amply demonstrated in biology, and even fossils demonstrate the veracity of these observations"
The theory of Evolution cannot not be used to explain phenomena such as the big-bang ( the origin of the universe) or abiogenesis (the origin of life). And while it is true there maybe some point of contention in the scientific community regarding how both the universe started and how life began, it should be understood that there is virtually no dispute among the scientific community regarding theory of evolution. Around 99% of scientists with advanced degrees believes in evolution.
Strobel can sidestep the overwhelming body of evidence that suggests evolution is a fact all he wants, but he pays a price. His argument is a straw man; plain and simple.
if Strobel wants to make "A Case" he needs to use some real facts
*Embryology is very powerful evidence for evolution
*The Fossil record is very powerful evidence for evolution
*DNA evidence is very powerful for evolution ( For instance, the DNA evidence that we humans evolved from a primate is overwhelming. Look at the scientific reports that clearly show Human Chromosome 2 is a fusion of two ancestral chromosomes)
And it's the synergy of various disciplines is what makes the theory of evolution so strong. With strobel mainly using is high school biology class as reference--it makes sense this book does not attempt to generate any real intellectual arguments against the theory of evolution
Funny how strobel offers no "Case for a creator" to explain the best evidence for evolution.
Strobel is a misguided individual, who should understand that evolution does not, by any means, prove or disprove a God. As a scientist hungry for facts; Strobel comes across as a clown and a fool.
 Good Basic Overview November 9, 2009
Mark Tedford
This is a good book for an overview for the evidence in favor of a creator and refute some arguements against naturalism. It is not as in-depth as some people would like and it is not intended to be a balanced view between the creationist and naturalist positions, neither of which are intended. Good for the beginner apologist.
Convincing but Wrong November 5, 2009
John T. (Illinois)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
To cite this book as a work of science is an insult to the scientific community. I must admit however that Strobel's arguments were entirely convincing upon a first reading. When I picked up this book I was beginning my venture into science and wanted so badly a reconciliation between my religious beliefs and that which I was taught in my science classes. At the time this book truly fit the bill and renewed my faith in God, however I had yet to hear the counterarguments. As the years passed and I learned more and more about the wonders of Biology and evolution, Strobel's arguments became less and less convincing.
There is simply no way to prove scientifically that a Christian God, or any god for that matter created, inhabits, and functions in the world we know today. The argument I remember clearest, which held the most water for me at the time of reading this book was that of irreducible complexity e.g. a mouse trap missing any one of its parts would not function as a mouse trap, therefore evolution is in question, therefore God exists. There is the obvious error of answering : the Christian God must have done it, to any such "fault" one sees in evolution,( this kind of faulty argument also applies to Strobel's argument about "gaps" in the fossil record) however upon further studying evolution irreducible complexity has since been debunked in my own mind. The classic creationist example of irreducible complexity is that of the bacterial flagellum, a whip like tail with many biological components, that would admittedly not function if any part were missing. However, it can function not as a flagellum, or mode of transport, but instead as a kind of needle with which to inject toxins. This needle has many of the characteristics of the flagellum with many of the parts missing. Both of these adaptations work and are favored by evolution. It's like saying that if I took the spring out of a mouse trap it certainly wouldn't be very good at catching mice, it would however make a fine doorstop.
Another classic argument that Strobel uses in this book is the seemingly improbable nature of our existence. He argues (among other things) that our planet is in an ideal location for life to flourish. If it were any closer or further from the sun, we would not be. Mathematically speaking it is highly improbable that we are alive therefore we must have been intelligently designed by our creator. This is a simple misunderstanding of probability with a mixture of faulty psychology thrown in. Indeed it is admittedly unlikely that such an inhabitable planet should arise. However multiply that probability over the possible billions to trillions of planets in the universe, and the odds get better. If I buy one lottery ticket my chances of winning are quite low, however if I buy a few million of them my chances are far better. It is a matter of human psychology that we should see our circumstance as special, when in reality we are but one of so many species living on a planet in one solar system among millions and billions.It may seem to us that we are special and must have been created, but humans once believed the sun rotated around the earth because that is indeed what it seems like when standing on earth, but consider instead that the earth revolves around the sun, would it look any different?
I honestly would not suggest this book to anyone except as an example on how not to do science or think rationally. That being said there are religiously devout scientists who can reconcile science and religion, and I don't think it's hard to do, however to use science to prove the God of the Bible exists is simply preposterous.
The Case for a Creator November 1, 2009
Shaun (WI)
Great book. This is what they should be teaching in school. You will not be disapointed.
The Case for a Creator October 23, 2009
Bonnie C. Brogdon (USA)
The best book on this topic I've ever read.....made me smarter and more committed to my firm belief in a Creator with all of the scientific fact and validation. Have given it as a gift to many.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 237
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